Wolverhampton children’s centres under threat

Children’s centres in Wolverhampton are revealed to be under threat as Government funding to the city is cut. Specifically, a Wolverhampton Council statement and consultation says “the Government is reducing the amount Wolverhampton receives through the Early Intervention Grant. The Early Intervention Grant is used to fund Wolverhampton’s 17 children’s centres. This means the city council faces having to make savings of £1.5M from children’s centres”.

The council is asking for your input, which you can offer by completing this survey. It’s worth keeping in mind that children’s centres are not just nurseries and benefit those other than families with young children. Taking the local example of Wednesfield’s Children’s Village, one of those under threat, the centre website describes a range of services:

Childcare Mon-Friday, 8-6pm

Stay and Play sessions for dads

Seasonal activities

Parent-to-be Group

Breastfeeding Group

Baby massage

Quitting smoking advice

Family support service

Baby club

Training courses: a range including first aid, numeracy and IT

The loss or cutback of these services would really impact on our communities, especially given there are 17 such children’s centres in the Wolverhampton area under consideration. Outside Wolverhampton, others are facing similar cuts to their centres.

However, it is worth noting that these cutbacks are being enforced by the Government, not the council themselves, hence the Council’s desire to consult with the public as much as possible. Completing the council’s petition is advised, as it gives parents, parents-to-be, and families the opportunity to have their say in how to deal with the cutbacks.

Awards

WV11 .co.uk is a volunteer run award winning website dedicated to community news and events in and around Wednesfield, Wolverhampton.
In 2011 we were given a 'Pride of Wolverhampton' award by local radio station Signal 107 and in 2012 we were given the 'Community Engagement' award by Talk About Local.